Local beer scene grows, evolves

July being Oregon Craft Beer Month and all, and considering that I see craft-beer developments continuing to take shape throughout Eugene-Springfield, I want to reflect on how far the beer scene has evolved here in the past handful of years — even the past few months. It’s remarkable, especially when you realize that as recently as 2006, no locally made beers were being bottled here and hop-heads with a taste for fresh, brewed-here beers were limited to offerings from a few local brewpubs.

I could go on and on about the transformation of Eugene-Springfield into a craft-brewing power player in the past seven years, but I just want to summarize some of the most recent developments because, frankly, they’re hard to keep straight.

On the production brewery side of things, there’s plenty of news from the “big three” including the recent opening of Hop Valley Brewing Co.’s Whiteaker-neighborhood production brewery and tasting room at 990 W. First Ave., along with a bold new graphic identity carrying across its labels and packaging; the impressive ongoing expansion of Ninkasi Brewing Co.’s Whiteaker brewhouse and office facilities; and the entry of Oakshire Brewing Co. into the “Whit” with its own welcoming, breezy and open tasting room at 207 Madison St.

Two other local production breweries — Agrarian Ales of Coburg and Claim 52 Brewing of Eugene — are earning wider recognition as more local tap handles feature their products. And the newest brewery on the block, Viking Braggot Co., opened in recent weeks for Friday tours and tastings (2 p.m. to 10 p.m.) at its urban warehouse facility, 520 Commercial St, Unit F, in west Eugene.

As far as brewpubs go, the soon-to-open Falling Sky Brewing Delicatessen Pour House at 790 Blair Blvd. will add to the company’s hoppy mini-empire that also includes the Falling Sky Brewing House Gastropub and Fermentation Supply Shop. First National Taphouse opened in late spring in an old downtown Eugene bank building at 51 W. Broadway, where it offers a huge tap list and a fascinating “beer exchange” in which pint prices go up or down based on demand. Plank Town Brewing Co. brought a welcome infusion of local craft beer, cuisine and friendly ambiance to downtown Springfield when it opened earlier this spring at 346 Main St. And the Whiteaker neighborhood’s iconic beer-food-music hub, Sam Bond’s Garage, soon will formally enter the brewing game with its own long-planned Sam Bond’s Brewing Co.

On the beer retail front, Eugene is home to excellent bottle shops including The Bier Stein — which moved this spring to a much larger site equipped to store and sell a greater variety of bottled beers (and seat more customers) — and the taphouse and cafe locations of 16 Tons, which host an ever-greater array of compelling beer-and-food special events. While these and other local establishments also offer beer sales in refillable containers (“growlers”), a new business called Growler Nation opened early this summer at 440 Coburg Road #102 in Eugene, where it’s poised to capitalize on the emerging popularity of this type of beer delivery. A second Wild Duck Cafe location, to open this summer at 1600 Coburg Road in the former Eugene home of the BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse chain (which itself moved to a bigger Valley River Center location), also promises to offer a growler-refilling station.

It’s hard to stay on top of all the changes — or to believe that the local beer landscape can continue to grow at this pace forever. But these certainly are heady times to be a craft-beer fan in and around Eugene.

Joel Gorthy has edited and written for The Register-Guard's quarterly Tastings section since its inception in 2003. With a passion for discovering new taste experiences, here he shares news and insights relating to fine food and drink in Eugene-Springfield, Lane County and beyond. Follow him on Twitter @JGorthyRG.